Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Jing - Weekend Brunch (Part 2)

This is the second part of our Jing weekend brunch. First part on appetisers, dim sum and soups is here in the previous post.

The menu actually allows a single serving of chili crab, which itself is worth more than the price of admission. We didn't expect much for crab served in an a la carte buffet but were pleasantly surprised that it's even better than what's served at No Signboard and Jumbo (East Coast). And they gave us a huge, meaty crab too - the fried mantou buns look tiny next to it!

We also requested the single serve of deep-fried "soon hock" (either soy or Thai style) but they ran out of that quite quickly.

I'm sure we've all had "mei cai kou rou" (braised pork with preserved mustard leaves) but this is the first time I've seen preserved mustard leaves paired with fish - in this case, steamed fillet of Chilean Seabass. Surprisingly, it works very well. The leaves lend a gentle salty-sweetness to the fish.

Jing's signature wasabi prawns - competently done but I seem to have had better elsewhere. Prawns are big and fresh though.

Clearly a dish with Korean influences. It even comes with a small kimchee garnish on the side. Pan-seared Beef Strips with Sesame Sauce. Commendable because the meat is very tender and flavourful.

Jing is certainly geared for families - they have a special section on the menu just for kids (but who says adults can't enjoy them too?). Fried fish fingers, french fries and chicken wings (very gently) flavoured with shrimp paste. The fish fingers are almost cottony-soft. Nadine and Jolie liked these.

Possibly my favourite dish. Perfectly done. Pork pieces fried just right, firmly crispy on the outside, tender within. The sauce too, was expertly concocted. Would have been awesome with some rice.

I wish the XO chili sauce carrot cake had more of a spicy kick to it. And it's the first time I've had carrot cake with the egg still runny in places. Perhaps a boon to some, but I prefer eggs fully cooked (even better yet, crispy!).

I love ee-fu noodles but haven't found many places that do it well. This stewed ee-fu noodles with mashed eggplant and shrimp roe looks a little one-dimensional because of the colour. Not bad, but still not my ideal version.

"Rice Noodles Braised with Sliced Beef and Egg" or simply "beef hor fun". I didn't order this, but it came to my table by mistake (the staff were very overworked and harried). I don't know what it tastes like (they took it away) but at least you get to see what it looks like.

You have to end with some deliciously sweet fresh fruit, and perhaps more bite-size pastries (which were all excellent). More egg tarts? The curry puff-shaped item in the centre has a sweet green filling - like pandan lotus paste. And the cashew-nut topped cookie also has a filling - either lotus paste or the stuff inside "lao puo bing" or wife's biscuit. All three I really liked. They were not too sweet.

In addition to the dessert station, they also have homemade vanilla ice cream - with real specks of vanilla seeds! They came around offering this to each table. Always welcome with the kids.

Chef Yong Bing Ngen came out to mingle with the guests every now and then. Gently sweaty but always poised - his commanding presence is unmistakable.

I'm guessing Jing's best meals and service come from a la carte orders on weekdays when there isn't such a huge crowd. But at this price (S$36++ per person) for the brunch, I am more than happy with what I got. Check out the full menu here. I just hope it doesn't get more crowded than it already is!

Just came back from Jing ;) Food is definitely good and the spread is pretty astounding, considering that a whole crab & soon hock are included. But I feel service needs some improvement. *Personally* though, I prefer the dim sum (and service) at Cherry Garden. Still, excellent value for $36+++. Thanks, Camemberu! :)